Ice fishing stands are used to suspend a fishing line without the constant attention of an operator. Given the ability to leave a stand to operate independently, it is possible for the operator to attend to other tasks, which may include operating a number of other stands. Decreasing the amount of time and attention that an operator must give to a stand leads to greater efficiency for the operator.
In particular, for ice fishing, a tip up style of fishing apparatus may be used. When using a tip up, there are a number of situations in which the operator may wish to change out the fishing line being used. For example, if a line is fouled, if the operator wishes to change the species of fish being targeted, or for a variety of other reasons, the operator may wish to replace the fishing line with a new fishing line.